Improvement in railroad-switches



' n UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

SAMUEL S. I'IAMILL, OF EAST CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,701, dated November 12, 1861.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. HAMILL, of East Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad- Switches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my invention, taken in the line Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of switches which are employed for city or horse railroads, and which are actuated by the drivers of the cars, a small wheel being thrown in contact with an elevated central curved guide-rail when it is required to have the car pass on a turn-out or branch track.

'The within-described invention consists in a novel and improved arrangement of the wheel which is brought in contact with the guide-rail, whereby said wheel, when thrown or adj usted downward to come in contact with the guide-rail, is locked on one of the axles of the car, and always when adjusted for operation brought in a relative position with the guide-rail and retained in such position, not being at all affected by the vertical vibration of the c ar due to its springs.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and constructmy invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the bed of a railroad-car; B B, the axles; C, the wheels, and D the pendants in which the axles B are fitted.

The above parts are of usual construction Iand therefore do not require a minute descripion.

E represents a curved rail, which is secured centrally between the curved rails F F of a branch road or turn-out at its junction with the rails G G of a main road. The rail E is higher than the rails F or G, and itis arranged precisely the same as the ordinary guide-rail hitherto used for the same purpose.

To the under side ofA the bed A of the car there is attached by a joint H a frame I, in

the outer end of which a wheel J is placed. The frame I is directly in line with one of the axles B of the car, and the frame has two recesses a a made in it of sufficient size to admit the axle.

The frame I has the pintle or rod Z) of its joint II fitted in oblong slots c c in pendants del, which are attached to the under side of the bed A. This arrangement it will be seen admits of a certain degree of vertical play of the frame I.

The frame I is connected by a rod K with a bent lever L, placed in one end of the bed A, and a spring M, which is secured to the under side of the bed A, is connected to lever L, and has a tendency to keep the frame I in a horizontal position and up against the under side of the bed, as shown in Fig. I. The lever L has a rod N attached to it, which rod passes up through the bed A and within reach of the driver.

The operation is as follows: As the car is drawn along and the rod N left free or untouched, the spring M will keep the frame I up against the under side of the bed A, and the car of course will be allowed to pass along on the main rails G G, as the wheel J of frame I is above the guide-rail E. If, however, it be desired to pass on the branch track or turn-out, the driver pushes down the rod N, andthereby throws down the frame I, which becomes locked on the axle B, the latter iitting in the'recesses a a in the frame I. When the frame I is in this position, the wheel .I will come in Contact with the guide-rail E, and the latter will direct the car on the rails F F of the branch track or turn-out.

In consequence of having the frame I lock on the axle B the wheel .I is always presented when adjusted for use in a proper position with the guide-rail E, the position of wheelJ not being in the least affected by the vertical movement of the car, due to the yielding of the springs of the latter, as the slots c admit of the car moving vertically without affecting frame I. This is an important improvement, for inthe ordinaryswitch arrangements of this class the wheel J is affected by the vertical movement of the car, which greatly interferes with its perfect operation and frequently causes the car to be thrown from the track.

A collar P is placed on all the axle B for the purpose of giving lateral support to the frame l I claim as new, and desire to secure by Leb I when the Wheel .I strikes the guide-rail E. ters Patent is* lVhen the guide-rails upon a given line of The arrangement of the pendnlous frame I, road are cnrved in opposite direction?, t-Wo l Constructed as shown, with the axle B, bed collars P will be used, one upon each side of A, rod K, lever L, sprlng M, and rod N, all asl the frame I, so that the latter Will be supherein shown and described. ported uponboth sides.

I do not Claim, broadly, the use of guiderails 1101 the employment of shifting' guidelVtnesses: Wheels; but, JOHN RICE,

SAMUEL S. HAMILI).

Having thus described my invent-ion, what C. H. HARTWELL. 

